


Dead in the Water

by lynnja



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-25
Updated: 2014-04-24
Packaged: 2018-01-20 17:14:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1518701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lynnja/pseuds/lynnja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The last thing she saw with human eyes was her hand. It was blue and warped thanks to both the water and her lack of oxygen. The last thing she tasted was the bite of salt as it went down her throat, into her nose, flooded her lungs. And the last thing she felt was the weight of chains as they kept her feet bound as she sunk down, down, down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dead in the Water

**Author's Note:**

> I blame tumblr and a general love of mermaids for this one. Anyways, I did my best to research geography and history and the like so this wouldn't be too out there, but it's probably for the best if you don't think about things too hard. Any and all constructive feedback is appreciated.

The last thing she saw with human eyes was her hand. It was blue and warped thanks to both the water and her lack of oxygen. The last thing she tasted was the bite of salt as it went down her throat, into her nose, flooded her lungs. And the last thing she felt was the weight of chains as they kept her feet bound as she sunk down, down, down.

Jemma hadn't thought much about the trip between Oslo and London. Her father was in the former, arranging with some business partners there for funds so he could import cane sugar and other items that didn't care much for Europe's weather. The actual company was run from London and Jemma was supposed to be returning there so she could get plans in motion based off tentative agreements already made. Several of her father's trading partners had scoffed at the idea of bringing her into the business, female as she was. Young to boot! But she was determined to see them all wrong. Jemma had always been bright and she was determined to prove herself despite her gender. Now it seemed that would never happen.

They weren't but into the second day of the should have been short trip when a storm hit. Jemma had been on ships before when there were gales and she usually waited it out in her cabin. However in her rush to get back to London she'd decided to buy passage on a smaller fishing vessel. No cabin, just a hammock. That wasn't the worst of it though. The worst was the sailors, a motley crew – and a superstitious one at that. Jemma had never paid any mind to tales of monsters or ghosts or old wives tales, but these men believed. Jemma only found that out when a number of them came for her in the middle of the storm.

When they spoke about her being the only female on board she thought they meant for something else entirely. Then, when her clothes stayed on but chains came out she remembered hearing that a female on board was bad luck and realized why they'd really come for her. She screamed and pleaded but her shrieks were lost, first to the wind, then to the water.

Jemma figured the curses she sent up to them would be her last thoughts, but after what could have been days, or months, or centuries another thought wormed into her mind. I'm not dead yet. 

At that she opened her eyes and all around her the world was black. And cold. If she was in the afterlife, surely it wouldn't be cold. Or was it even cold at all? As she became more aware, the chill abated. Her desire to breathe abated and she realized that even though she couldn't breathe in and out she was breathing. Good thing, because her throat still felt the effect of the salt water. She reached up to grab at her throat as though that might do something to alleviate the symptoms, but it did nothing. However while there she felt something else. There was a ridge behind her ears, traveling down to her neck. She grabbed at it, then winced when that hurt. It also affected her ability to breathe for a moment and that was when she realized they were gills.

A giggle came from behind her, high and girlish. Jemma turned but still all she could see was black. No. That wasn't true. Black had given way to deep grey and in the muck she could see shapes. There were two of them behind her, but they moved before she could focus on them and get a better look. One went behind what Jemma figured was a rock, but the other stayed close.

After a moment she approached Jemma and the girl's first reaction was to swim away. She kicked out, but her legs moved as one and she was still chained. Another kick had the chains sliding off, only to get caught on something else. That something else hurt as the chains landed on it but Jemma knew that couldn't really be the case because the pain was coming from a body part that she didn't have. Jemma looked down and surmised that she'd have to come to grips with the fact that she had a fin now.

Have you realized then? You're a fast learner. 

The thing that approached her was closer still. Jemma's desire to recoil was still there, but she was drawn in as well. The woman in front of her looked only a few years older than Jemma's sixteen. She was dark skinned, not just because of the lack of light. Her skin was chocolate like her father brought over, but her eyes and lips were bright. Jemma had been to hundreds of places and met thousands of women, but none were half as beautiful as the woman in front of her now. 

She realized she was gawking, but luckily the woman's friend approached then and Jemma was able to look away. However the other was just as beautiful, Oriental with long brown hair that fanned around her. 

Do you understand? The dark skinned one asked. Jemma blinked, then nodded. She wasn't sure how else to communicate. Talking wouldn't exactly work on the bottom of the ocean.

Just think what you want and send it, the other girl said. 

Jemma nodded again to indicate that she understood, then decided to try it out. I'm Jemma. And you two are? Since she wasn't sure what the proper societal norms were in cases like this, she decided to just go for as much information as possible.

Sky, said the second one.

Raina, thought the first as she reached for Simmon's hand. Come with us.

Jemma did.


End file.
